President George, meet governor George

The New York City firefighters, and the 350 of them who died
trying to save thousands more from the Twin Towers, are the public
servants who come to mind immediately. The funerals continue with a
dignity and a tradition that make us all weep. And feel very proud.
Faced with a tragedy of unprecedented scope, the employees of New
York City and its neighbors responded with a calm professionalism
and focused purpose that brought universal praise for other
individuals on the public payroll the city' s mayor and the state's
governor. And the hospitals were ready for the survivors who didn't
survive. The Hudson River waterfront was shut down to all but
emergency and evacuation vessels almost immediately. The New Jersey
State Police and National Guard were on the spot within two hours.
Government worked. After decades of undiluted scorn for anything
connected with "government," even right-wing zealots had to admit
that maybe it was a good thing that we never got around to
privatizing the NYFD.

Now as the recovery phase begins in earnest, we see clearly the
difference between the dinosaur wing of the Republican Party,
symbolized by the leadership in the House of Representatives, and
its more moderate adherents like New York City Mayor Rudolph
Giuliani and New York Governor George Pataki. President Bush, at ho
me with the fire-breathing dinosaurs, feels their heat, squeezed by
the moral claims of New York City and New York State.

The $54 Billion Request

Governor George is asking President George for $54 billion to
repair the damaged downtown so that New York can lead the nation
out of the budding recession. Franklin D. Roosevelt and Lyndon
Johnson couldn't have said it any better. The governor knows that
when we're knocked down like we were on Sept. 11, any suggestion
that we should let the marketplace determine the most efficient use
of scarce financial resources is preposterous. Nope, in an
emergency we turn to the common ground we all occupy, as symbolized
by our national government.

Now, I don't know if $54 billion is the right or the fair
number. It comes on to p of $17.5 billion that has already been
appropriated for the immediate cleanup, search for victims and
relief for survivors. Maybe the governor could have left off the
proposed high-speed rail line from New York to Schenectady or
bridge re pairs upstate. But everyone would expect the federal
government to help rebuild the downtown PATH terminal and the 1 and
9 subway lines from South Ferry to Chambers Street. And shouldn't
every American pitch in to help redevelop lower
Manhattan?

The dinosaurs are telling President Bush that the federal
government has already done too much and that the only thing
they'll support is accelerating the tax cut for the richest
Americans. After the rebate checks which were imposed on the
president by the Senate Democrats, 50 percent of the remaining
benefits of the president's tax cut will go to the wealthiest one
percent of our taxpayers! And President Bush went along with the
congressional right wing, saying that he'll consider only tax cuts
as a way of dealing with our next big threat recession.

But that's not good enough. There is a lot of work ahead if
we're going to get out of the present slump.

Rebuild, And Quickly

First, we need to rebuild the New York region and soon. Pataki
is right when he says that responding to the tragedy quickly and
with an ambitious program can send a jolt into this sleepy
economy.

Second, we need to protect unemployed workers. The unemployment
insurance funds in many states are tapped out, benefits run out
after 26 weeks, and 40 percent o f the workforce isn't even
covered. The $15 billion airline bailout ignored the tens of
thousands of laid-off airline employees.

Third, we need to pay the costs of health care for unemployed
workers and their families. We can't bankrupt our hospitals by
asking them to pick up the tab for emergency room visits of
desperate folks out of work.

Fourth, the government should cut the payroll tax the biggest
tax most families pay by extending the taxable income for Social
Security to $250,000 and reducing it for families who make under
$75,000.

All these suggestions do the same thing: they put money in the
pockets of people who need it most and will spend it quickest. The
last thing we need is to take money from people who are working to
give it to big investors, but that's precisely what the Republican
leadership in Congress is pushing for.

President George, listen to governor George, will you
please?

(Editor's Note: The writer, a resident of Morristown, is a
former Democratic state Senator and Assemblyman from Morris County.
He leads Citizens for Better Schools, a non-profit organization
based in Newark focused on improving public education in the state.
Mr. MacInnes' column, which reflects his individual views, appears
here the first and third week of the month, alternating with a
column by Jim Wallwork, a former Republican state senator and
former gubernatorial candidate. His e-mail address is
macinnes@gti.net.)

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In recent weeks, Long Hill Township and Watchung Borough passed ordinances allowing their police departments to be able to apply for surplus equipment from the Department of Defense. Long Hill recently procured a Humvee to use in times of flooding, which Watchung states as the reason they are getting into the program. However, in cities around the country, police forces have used the program to obtain military gear, such as weapons and armor.
For more background, go to the link below
http://www.newjerseyhills.com/echoes-sentinel/news/watchung-police-department-hopes-to-receive-equipment-from-department-of/article_12ad002a-92b3-5449-a2cc-4b2cf0ce4339.html